Dr. Haider Aljewariwas born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq and graduated from the University of Baghdad with a Bachelors in Dental Surgery. Following graduation, he practiced as a General Dentist in Baghdad. Dr. Aljewari continued his studies at the Texas State Technical College and at the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) - currently The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. At UTPA, he received a grant for his research project from the Research Scholar Initiative and worked as a Teaching Assistant in Mammalian Physiology. In 2015, Dr. Aljewari graduated from the Advanced Standing Doctor of Dental Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. While at UIC, he served as his class representative at the college’s Curriculum Committee, and was involved in community work including his position as Team Captain at Goldie’s Place. He received multiple commendations including an award from the American Academy of Periodontology for outstanding achievement in periodontics, the Gould Memorial Scholarship Award in honor of his clinical and academic excellence and an award from the Academy of Dentistry International (ADI) for his exceptional case study presentation. Dr. Aljewari has been granted the Financial Assistance Program (FAP) with the United States Air Force and was commissioned as Captain in May, 2016. When Dr. Aljewari is not improving the smiles of his patients, he enjoys playing soccer, swimming and watching movies.

Dr. Reihaneh Ghoreishiwas born in Esfahan, Iran. She completed her dental education at Kerman University, Iran obtaining her first DMD from her country. In 2008 she won the Honorary Dentist Society award from the Esfahan Public Security Insurance Hospital in Iran. She later joined the advanced standing program at University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014, and graduated in 2016 receiving her second DMD. She was nominated in 2015 for the OKU (Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society) award. She worked with Dr. Joel Schwartz from the department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences studying the Inhibition of EGFR Suppresses Ethyl Alcohol and Tobacco Cell Effect on Growth of Keratinocytes and HPV 16 Entry as a Function of Furin. She is currently working with Periodontics Faculty Dr. Tolga Tozum on Maxillary sinus study using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). She has actively participated in many charity works such as providing free dental care to underserved families in Iran; She is also part of the Mission of Mercy Charity in the U.S. Besides dentistry Dr. Ghoreishi enjoys cooking Persian meals, writing poems, planting herbs such as basil and mint. She is fascinated on knowing about different cultures and place and hopes that living in Chicago will open new windows for her to explore other aspects of the life.

Dr. Jessica Finkielsztein was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts and speaks fluent Spanish. She graduated with a B.S. from the University of Rochester in 2012 majoring in Cell and Developmental Biology with a minor in Spanish. She received her DMD degree in 2016 from Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine. During her time as a dental student, she was Co-President of the Alpha Omega Fraternity and involved in ASDA. Dr. Finkielsztein was the recipient of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology Horace Wells Senior Student Award and the Senior Student Award from the American Academy of Periodontology. She graduated dental school Summa Cum Laude and was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honors Society. During her free time, Dr. Finkielsztein enjoys exploring the city and trying new restaurants with her husband along with cheering on the Chicago Blackhawks.

Dr. Elizabeth Kaminskywas born in Boston, Massachusetts and attended the University of Rochester for her Bachelors degree in Brain and Cognitive Science with minors in American Sign Language and Business. In 2014, Dr. Kaminsky received her DMD degree from the University of Connecticut. At UConn, she was president of her class, an Urban Service Track scholar and served as a delegate for the American Student Dental Association. In 2015, Dr. Kaminsky completed a general practice residency program at Swedish Medical Center and then worked as a general dentist in Seattle, WA before moving to Chicago. In her free time she enjoys traveling, hiking, learning to play guitar and being a foodie.

Dr. Chris Traxler was born and raised in San Diego, CA and graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management from the W.P. Carey School of Business. After working at The Boeing Company on the F-22 Raptor program, he pursued a career in dentistry, and received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of California, San Francisco in 2016. In his free time, Dr. Traxler enjoys playing guitar, golfing, scuba diving, and fishing. He and his wife recently relocated to Chicago and are excited to explore this amazing city!

From left to righ: Dr. Shaltoni, and Dr. Kulkarni

Class of 2020

Dr. Varun Kulkarniwas born in Mumbai, India. He completed his dental education (Bachelors Of Dental Surgery) from M.U.H.S, India; and was a recipient of the IDA-Colgate scholarship award. He has worked with the “Indian Dental association (IDA)-tobacco intervention initiative” and the Indian Medical Association-Mumbai. He has also been a recipient of the Homi Bhaba Academic Excellence in Science Award. He has been zealously engaged in the field of dentistry, research, as well as public healthcare, over the past few years. Dr. Kulkarni has had several international publications in the field of periodontology and immunology in esteemed journals like Journal of California dental Association, Frontiers in Immunology, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Tumor biology, International Dental Journal. He is on the editorial panel for the journal EC dental sciences, UK. His research focuses on identifying and characterizing microRNAs regulating oral mucosal immunity with a focus on the functional characterization of miRNAs influencing key aspects of periodontal immunology. Currently, he has been working on Post-transcriptional modulation of oral mucosal immunity by microRNA and the role of Antigen-presenting cells like macrophages and dendritic cells in the inflammatory response to periodontal pathogens. He was the cricket captain of his dental school and has won many inter-collegiate tournaments. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing Cricket.

Dr. Samer Shaltoni was born and raised in LaGrange, IL and graduated Cum Laude from Benedictine University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences. From there, he went on to pursue his dental training at the University Of Illinois College Of Dentistry at Chicago where graduated with a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD). During his time as a dental student, Dr. Shaltoni was the president of the Association of Muslim Dental Students and a recipient of scholarships such as the Frances Best Watkins, the Dr. Karl. Halwass, and the Luz Bondoc awards. In addition, he was awarded the American Academy of Periodontics Student Award for Achievement in Periodontology. This award is given at each dental school to the graduating senior who displays the highest level of academic and clinical achievement related to periodontics. In his free time, Dr. Shaltoni is a big car enthusiasts and loves working on cars, spending time with family and friends, as well as playing and watching basketball

Class of 2021

Dr. Lisa Park was born in South Korea and grew up in the suburbs of Boston. She completed her undergraduate and dental school education through an accelerated BS/DDS program. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2014 at University of Detroit Mercy with magna cum laude. She received a Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2018 at University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. She is a recipient of the Academy of Dentistry International USA Section Student Servant Leadership Award for meritorious servant leadership and volunteerism, The American Association of Oral Biologists Award for her contributions in research in root caries in geriatric patients, the Certificate of Advanced Periodontics Clerkship Program from Detroit Mercy Department of Periodontology and Dental Hygiene, the School of Dentistry Research Recognition and Academic Leadership Recognition, and the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation Scholarship. Dr. Park held monthly dental education sessions around schools in Detroit, oral cancer screenings at health fairs, mouth guard clinics for student athletes and Special Olympics, and dental mission trips in Guatemala and Peru. Dr. Park loves playing with cute dogs, taking long walks with her husband, and enjoys playing board games. Fun Fact: at the age of 11, Dr. Park was a state champion in kick boxing in South Korea.

Dr. Manali Tanna Madhavani was born in Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India) and completed her Bachelor in Dental Surgery from Manubhai Patel Dental College (Vadodara, Gujarat, India). After immigrating to the U.S. she pursued Masters in Public Health at Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, NY) from 2014-2016, where she was awarded grant through Samuel D. Harris Fund for Children’s Health Grants for proposed project “Healthy Smiles, Healthy Families.” The project was an innovative collaboration between Stony Brook children’s hospital, Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine and Keeping Families Healthy Program. She joined Advanced standing program at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Dentistry in 2016. During her time at UIC, she partook in various outreach programs such as Goldie’s place and United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Seguin of Greater Chicago. Upon completion of DMD program at UIC, she was awarded International College of Dentists: Student Humanitarian Award and American Academy of Periodontology for outstanding achievement in Periodontics. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, and experimenting her culinary skills on her husband.

Dr. Marrium Haroon is a foreign trained dentist who was born and raised in Dubai, UAE. She graduated dental school in 2012 and have since been actively involved in expanding her dental education. She has been fortunate enough to have presented and published her research on “Influence of dental awareness on oral hygiene of medical and dental students”, at the IADSR. Her pursuit of dental education brought her to New Jersey where she often volunteered at Give Kids A Smile as well as the Mission of Mercy events. She then further completed a fellowship at the University of Kentucky in Periodontics and provided dental care at the Mission clinic in Lexington, Kentucky.

Besides learning the art of dentistry, She enjoys spending time with her family in New Jersey and Tennessee. She loves outdoor adventures and is a bit of an adrenaline junkie. She has been able to go hiking, rock climbing as well as white water rafting. The city of Chicago has opened a new chapter in her life and she wishes to explore all that this beautiful city has to offer during her residency here. After completing her residency she plans to move to Virginia and establish her own private practice.

Dr. Tyler G. Haradon grew up in Monument, Colorado. He attended the University of Denver, where he received his Bachelors of Science degree in Biology concentrating in Cognitive Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry and Psychology. In 2018, Dr. Haradon received his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Haradon enjoys spending time with his family, which includes his wife Miranda and two kids Clark and Marley. He also enjoys playing hockey, lacrosse, drums, and skiing in his free time. Dr. Haradon and his family just recently relocated to Chicago, and are very excited to be here.

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